Thread: Which edge do you prefer and why?

Round 1 of Series 2, #12 with the Shapton Pros followed by the Asagi w/Atoma slurry. Here's what the edge looked like under 380X magnification (lighting seems a bit stronger)

Shapton Pro (Sharpen) + Asagi w/Atoma slurry (Polish/Finish)


As usual, results of this shave are posted HERE. I had a terrific shave today with this edge. The Shaptons put a killer edge on this, but seems like the Asagi dialed the sharpness back a bit, but smoothness was just right. I would rate this as follows:

Sharpness: 9.0
Smoothness: 9.5

This is the end of this experimental series, but the study continues on two fronts:

1. I will hone the 3 blades using a random honing regimen and send them back to Rene (blind test). Rene will shave and report the results back. Once posted, I will un-blind the study, allowing us to correlate the honing with the quality of the shave (hopefully)...this will be a more un-biased and objective assessment of the study.
2. Just for laughs and giggles, Rene has sent me 4 blades he doesn't care about. So, I will hone two of these up (haven't decided which stones yet...Maybe one with a Shapton finish and the other using an Asagi finish). Once honed up, I will take them to work where a friend/colleague will put them under SEM (Scanning Electron Microscope) and see if there are any drastic differences in the pattern of the bevel/edge.

Have you noticed your honing abilities increasing during these experiments?

Originally Posted by shooter74743

Have you noticed your honing abilities increasing during these experiments?

Well...very good question. Since I am new to the Shaptons, I feel like I am meandering a bit, but learning a lot as I do it each time. For example, yesterday, I took one of my stainless steels and decided to see how it performs on the Shapton...Nothing was happening. Absolutely nothing. Edge was dull as could be. I knew that from the warning that So had given me prior to getting the stones. Same blade was working wonders on a 1k Naniwa followed by coticule. So, those who have already mastered these J-Shaptons already know that they do not work well with SS blades...best with carbon blades.

All in all, I am getting a hole lot better every time I hone...Granted, I don't do hone many blades, but when I do, I take my time and make sure that bevel is set properly (if needed) and edge pops hair before moving to next progression or stone.

My first true "system" was the Shapton GS's & then the Naniwa's. I think I did it backwards as the GS's can be quite finicky. I do truly believe that once you learn a system though, you can hone virtually any blade. I've got a couple JNATS, but haven't worked with them yet. I tried learning several finishers at one time and was getting nowhere fast. I've got the CF down, quite comfortable with the escher & 30k, so next is the JNATS. This is why I have been reading and reading on everyone's experiences.

I thank not only you, but everyone else who has posted their trials and tribulations on them...

Originally Posted by BladeRunner001

So, those who have already mastered these J-Shaptons already know that they do not work well with SS blades...best with carbon blades.

Funny how the Shap GS works fine with stainless. Interesting that even ceramic stones can vary with different steels.


btw Robert , you haven't left yourself much room for improvement with those 9's & 9.5's hehe.
Well done

I would want to shave with #2 probably, but asethically speaking, i like the pattern on #3

Originally Posted by onimaru55

Funny how the Shap GS works fine with stainless. Interesting that even ceramic stones can vary with different steels.


btw Robert , you haven't left yourself much room for improvement with those 9's & 9.5's hehe.
Well done

It's a scale of 1 to 20, ...Lots of room for improvement. I am judging those based on what I get from an average aggregate of honemeister's edges (rated as a 10). That 0.5 or 1.0 remaining is a very tough one to achieve. Real tough...It still eludes me. One of these days, I hope to close that gap too.

Originally Posted by holeHeartless

I would want to shave with #2 probably, but asethically speaking, i like the pattern on #3

I know what you mean. I produced edge #2. Not sure how (or who for that matter) #1 or #3 were done, but judging from my limited Shapton experience, I would say #3 was done on Shapton (probably GS 16k or 30k). I get a similar type of pattern on the J-Shapton 12k.

Number 2 looks more attractive. I hope I get like this with my honing.

Where is the answer? How it was done?

Originally Posted by Zelenbakh

Number 2 looks more attractive. I hope I get like this with my honing.

Where is the answer? How it was done?

You mean how the honing was done on #2 (in the OP)? If so, here's what I did:

1. Naniwa 1k (set the bevel): I actually like creating a light slurry on this with the DMT325 and used a dilution method (much like the coticule), using the back and forth, circle and then finishing using fresh light slurry with usual X-strokes with dilution ending with water only. It was popping hair at this stage (HHT)
2. La Grosse Blanche Coticule (sharpen): I did a very light slurry with the dilucot method (just to refine the bevel/edge) and ended it with no pressure X-strokes for 60 laps. Still popping hairs
3. JNat (Asagi) w/Nagura progression: I raised moderate slurry (Botan) on the stone and did 30 laps each with 4 dilutions. Proceeded with the same with the other 2 Naguras (Mejiro and Koma) same way. Ended with tomonagura with 4 dilutions with finally only water for 80 laps.
4. Image at ~400X